The price of his love

nst her skin and the faint scent of cedar

ation crashed down on her. She wasn't home. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly, her heart hammering in her chest. The room was

ed gray, the furnitu

he plush bedding beneath her fingers to the chand

he stood quickly, her bare feet sinking into the thick carpet. She was s

ken her. She crossed the room in hurried strides, fingers curling around the cool metal handle. With a shar

r, willing it to open, willing this nightmare to be some elaborate mistak

adjoining room, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He was dressed in a cr

er frantic movements. "Unlock the door," she demanded

m the doorway. "And here I thought yo

toward her with effortless confid

hough every instinct screamed at her to put distance b

the lump rising in her throat. "You can't keep me here." He reached out, tucking a stray strand of h

u want from me?" Adrian exhaled slowly, as if reining himself in. "I want you

and those who would rather see you dead." She hated the way his words sen

o what? I'm your prisoner?" He studied he

ecause that sounds so much better." She turned back to the door, pressing her forehea

n, Isla." Her fingers curled into fists. "Watch me." Isla sp

nthouse was a fortress, designed to keep people out. Or in. By the time she hea

t, toast, and a steaming cup of coffee. The sight of

he remarked, setting th

ng your captive?" He sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "For s

ruly believed he was keeping her safe. That whatever danger lurked beyond these walls wa

ips twitched as if her defiance amused him

her stomach, an unwelcome response to his nearness. She hated that her body reacted

ow shiver ran down her spine. She was trapped in his world, a prisoner in a cage lined

means of escape, she would not simply surrender. Her body might be confined within th

for just an escape route anymore she was studying him. The way his world operated. The things he val

, carefully arranged, and devoid of any true warmth. She ran her fingers along the marble c

with expensive first editions, but she wondered if he

made her wonder if they were chosen intentionally or if they simply reflected something about him that she had yet to decipher.

o analyze Adrian

she strode back toward her bedroom no, the room he had given her. She refused to think of it as

ite bathroom. She hadn't explored it yet, and though she doubted it would lead her to freedom, it was worth checking. T

that gleamed under the soft lighting. The glass-walled shower was large enough for

And yet, it was still a part of her cage. She turned t

beneath her eyes, a test

from sleeping in them. But beneath the fatigue, her d

light and pressed herself against the wall, listening carefully. Footsteps. S

ape in his absence. Then his voice cut through the silence. "Hiding won't get you very far." She exhaled slowly, steadyin

commanding without him needing to say a word. "I wasn't

ved into a f

ell me I'll never escape again? Or did you just come to glo

main still. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her retreat. "I came to see if you'd come to your senses," he mur

ned at his words, not just from the implicit threat but from the way he said it as if

tracing a single finger along the curve of her jaw. The touch was light, almost thoughtful, but it sent a sh

and unspoken. Isla could feel it creeping into her bo

you'll be disappointed." His smirk widened just slightly, but there w

re with her heart pounding and her resolve burning stronger than e